TV

Britain’s Got Talent 2015: Yet another dog act steals the crown

9 years ago
by Holly Wade

For some May half term means a week spent away from school or work, counting down the days until your summer holiday. For fans of reality show Britain’s Got Talent it’s a different story though as, after weeks of auditions, the semi-finals were upon us.

This year has brought with it another mix of great talent, from singers and dancers to the expected much more random acts, like judge David Walliams’ golden buzzer act Lorraine Bowen who performed her original song about crumble.

Semi-final one last Monday saw both Bowen and Alesha Dixon’s golden buzzer act Entity Allstars battling it out for the final amongst a balloon popping dog and a rollerblading sibling duo to name but a few.

The format for this year’s semi’s has remained largely the same with the public voting through one act and the judges then deciding between the next highest placed two. In a slightly cruel twist though the positions of all the semi-finalists were revealed from ninth to fourth place.

Unsurprisingly on Monday evening Alesha’s dance troupe and the superb Welsh choir Côr Glanaethwy were the first acts to make it through to the grand final held on Sunday.

Semi-final two was much of the same, some terrible acts having somehow made it through. High heeled dancer Luca Carlo was praised for his originality – have the judges forgotten the French trio they had on last year’s show? Contortionist dancer Bonetics missed out on a place as dog act Jules and Matisse made it through (yes, really) followed by surprising dance act Old Men Grooving.

Day three, half way through the week, and a comb player was on the bill. How he made it through is anyone’s guess. Performances came from female singers Ella Shaw and Gracie Wickens-Sweet but it was electronic light dance act UDI and magician Jamie Raven who progressed in the competition.

The twist before the final

Lisa Sampson was looking to hula hoop her way to glory in semi-final four but she was pushed aside for teen singer Isaac Waddington and father/son singers The Neales, controversially leaving Ant and Dec’s golden buzzer act Boyband and ace musicians the Kanneh-Masons out.

The final semi was quite possibly the hardest to choose between with a female magician, tap dancers, contemporary dancer and Disney princess girl group Misstasia all worthy of a place. But Simon Cowell’s golden buzzer act Calum Scott and impressionist Danny Posthill pipped them to the post, leaving unbelievable martial arts whizz Jesse-Jane McParland struggling to hold back the tears.

This year came another change as the five third placed acts were given the chance to be voted for by the public as a wildcard, enabling Henry Gallagher, Amanda Holden’s golden buzzer Revelation Avenue, IMD Legion, Boyband and Jesse-Jane to hope for the final once again. Jesse made it through, the judges also choosing their own wildcard after the public vote, Boyband now making the cut.

The final was of course as spectacular as ever. Dance act Entity Allstars nailed their gladiator performance with epic and explosive choreography but stiff competition came from Boyband who went for an ‘elements’ themed piece. Old Men Grooving triumphed once more, using their best dance moves in a wedding scene. The strongest competition came from UDI, the group who run dance classes for orphaned children. Their good vs evil theme and their uniqueness really set them apart from everyone else.

Each year there are numerous singing acts who should probably be best left to the X Factor. This year Calum was the hot favourite but his rendition of Rihanna’s Diamonds left him out in the cold as he messed up his lyrics, but to give him some credit he did carry on. Teenager Isaac was another favourite, singing his audition song She’s Always A Woman To Me again but it would have been nice to see something different from the 15-year-old.

A variety of performances

The Neales performed the Jason Mraz hit I Won’t Give Up to less enthusiasm from the judges, the second time BGT fans had heard this particular song in a matter of days as it has just been released by last year’s winners Collabro. Côr Glanaethwy performed spectacularly yet again, a spine tingling Welsh rendition of the ever popular Hallelujah.

But variety is what keeps the fans coming back to BGT year after year and this year had one of the best mixes yet. Samurai girl Jesse shone in a cutsie pink outfit, leaving the possibility of a TV show for the 9-year-old who already has a staggering 172 titles to her name. Impressionist Danny Posthill blew all other comedy acts out of the water with his routine and there is surely a bright future for him.

Jules and Matisse pulled out all the stops for the final, a comedic police routine with dog Matisse having stolen some sausages from the local butcher. Despite reservations it was actually a pretty strong routine as Matisse tightrope walked from the station to another building in a bid to escape prison. But it was magician Jamie Raven that really proved his worth, astounding the public and the judges with his incredible card tricks. And it’s not often that any of them are left speechless.

The final public vote really was too close to call but finally Jules and Matisse were crowned the Britain’s Got Talent 2015 champions. Raven came a close second, a massive travesty as he throughly deserved to have won but it seems that the British public still can’t get enough of clever animals. Côr Glanaethwy came in third place, humbly thanking everyone for their experience. 

So that is it for another year. It has been one hell of an emotional rollercoaster but the show has now become pretty farcical. Let’s just hope next year some genuine talent will be recognised. Sorry dogs but you’re just not for me.

What did you think of this year? Leave your comments below.

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